I wrote this over a year ago, but I didn't upload it because how "Please Stay" ended, and I feel that it should remain a one-shot. As such, I'd read this as a different story with its own themes and tones, though it exists in the same universe.
Also, this is basically a PSA about the Spiral Abyss.
Dedicated to my wife and daughter.
The Spiral Abyss
To this day, no one knew how the portal at Musk Reef had gotten there.
For millennia, there was nothing more than an eclipse-shaped island. Then, during a recent expedition to collect anemograna for his wind catcher, a certain traveler looked up to find the massive archway, swirling with unknown energy.
Aether blinked. "Is this some kind of domain?" he asked his floating companion.
Paimon shrugged. "Domains have doors. This is an archway."
She had a point, so he was somewhat reluctant to just walk in there like he was searching for materials to enhance his weapons.
He twirled the Favonius Sword that Acting Grand Master Jean had given him. "Do we have anything else to do today?" he asked Paimon.
"Well, do we have any resin?"
"Nope."
"Paimon figured…"
"No commissions from the Guild, either," he said, as a grin slowly crept up his face. "Last one in is Emergency Food!"
"Hey, wait a minute!"
With a laugh, Aether jumped through the portal, but his joy was short-lived. A high-pitched, feminine voice echoed all around him.
"Descend the Spiral Abyss and prove your strength."
He collapsed onto a polished, stone floor, not unlike the one from some domains. He shot to his feet, instinctively grabbing his head to stave off the dizziness.
He called out into the darkness.
"Lumine? Is… Is that you?"
No response.
He looked all around him. A wide, round chamber lay before him, while behind him was a platform that dropped off into nothingness. Once again, he called out.
"Lumine! I know that was you! You don't have to hide!"
But she didn't appear. Did she hate him for letting her get kidnapped? If she were hiding, why would she call out?
Why was her voice so… cold?
He gathered his bearings and took a deep breath. "Well, I suppose there's nothing to it but to keep going, eh, Paimon?"
No answer.
"… Paimon? H-hey, this isn't funny!"
Gritting his teeth and pushing down his growing anxiety, he tapped his left shoulder: a guaranteed way to call Paimon.
Nothing happened.
When he had first woken up in this world, cold and alone, with his sister nowhere to be found, he had just… sat there. For days on end, he had been nothing more than a statue, not eating, sleeping, nor breathing.
Lumine was the strategist. Lumine was the leader. Aether was just there to fight.
But Aether had woken up alone.
One day, he had clenched his fists and stood up with a fire in his eyes. Those flames were quenched when he had asked himself, "Now what?"
The sudden pleas of a certain mascot, drowning despite being able to float, was an excellent answer.
It was Paimon who taught him how to use the elements. It was Paimon who suggested that he seek out the archons. It was Paimon who had guided him thus far.
But Aether was the one who had run into this mysterious domain, and now, he was alone again.
He clenched his fists, just as he had all those months ago. The obvious solution to his predicament would be to teleport out, but why would he do that when he had just heard Lumine's voice?
So, he climbed the stairs, entered the first chamber, and challenged the Spiral Abyss.
Out of thin air, dozens of electro slimes appeared. Just like the other domains that he had been in, there were mere recreations of the real deal.
With practiced ease, he trapped them in a vortex of anemo, smashing them into the wall. As soon as they died, he heard a light tinkling, as a few silvery-white stars fell into his open palm.
"Descend the Spiral Abyss and prove your strength."
There it was again: Lumine's voice, devoid of all emotion. Was that merely a recreation, too? The fact that it was repeated right after a trial — or perhaps before a second trial — certainly led credence to that.
"But if there's someone at the end of this that knows about Lumine, then I can't just give up."
Paimon would be worried sick about him, and he hated to trouble her like this — she needed him as much as he needed her. However, he had to do this. Surely, she would understand.
Aether gripped his sword and walked to the end of the chamber. Instead of an Irminsul tree in front of a massive tablet, there was a large entryway shrouded in fog. The stars that he had just received flew out of his palm and into the entryway, dissipating the fog. With a determined expression, he made his way up the stairs.
'Wait — didn't Lumine say to descend?'
He shook his head, clearing his errant thoughts. That simply didn't matter.
The next chamber was slightly more difficult than the first, but it was nothing that he couldn't handle. The third chamber was the same.
"There," he said. "That's the end, isn't it?"
But the entryway opened not to a tree or a tablet or even a portal. Instead, there was another set of stairs. Due to the way that it was set up, Aether assumed that this was another floor instead of a chamber.
He grimaced. Just how many floors were there?
As he tackled the second, third and fourth floors, he began to get desperate. He wasn't strong enough to continue.
He grit his teeth, ignored his myriad wounds, and retried the second chamber of Floor Four. His strikes barely dented the enemy, whereas each of their blows knocked him off his feet. Crashing into a pillar at the edge of the arena, he winced as his right forearm splintered into two pieces.
An axe mitachurl barreled towards him. He reached up his sword in an attempt to block, but he knew that it was futile. The sword was knocked out of his hands, but the axe kept going. It tore into his shoulder, slicing inwards towards his neck. Going into fight or flight mode, Aether teleported out of the Spiral Abyss, appearing a short distance away from the Statue of the Seven at Windrise.
His broken ribs pressed against his lungs. As his breathing became painful and the blood flowed from the gash in his neck, he anxiously waited for the statue's healing power to take effect.
Nothing happened.
Cursing inwardly, Aether remembered that the teleport waypoint was always a few steps too far from the statue. Grunting in pain, he reached out with his functioning arm and dragged himself closer. After a long, agonizing minute where he was sure that he wasn't going to make it, he felt the statue's warmth flow through him.
He sighed in relief, as all of his wounds closed up. "Thanks, Venti," he mumbled, smiling a bit as a gentle breeze brushed across his cheek. Maybe that lazy, drunken archon paid more attention than he let on.
Aether stood up, noticing that the statue was duller than normal, likely meaning that it was out of energy. Hopefully, it would recharge sooner rather than later so that he could challenge the Spiral Abyss again.
Now, most people who faced something like that and narrowly escaped with their lives would balk at the thought of redoing it, but self-preservation wasn't in Aether's vocabulary. If it brought him one step closer to Lumine, he'd take it in a heartbeat.
Having recovered fully, Aether stretched his sore neck and teleported back to Musk Reef where Paimon was anxiously waiting for him. The moment she noticed him, she flew over as fast as possible, fussing over him. He smiled and gently pushed her away.
"I'm fine," he said. "Sorry for leaving you for so many hours."
Paimon blinked. "'Hours'? But you were only gone for a minute. Paimon was worried because she couldn't join you."
"… Huh."
Not only had he heard a recreation of Lumine's voice, but time flowed differently in there. Maybe all of it was a hallucination?
Then again, hallucinations didn't slice your neck open.
"It was just a normal domain," he lied.
"I guess so," Paimon muttered. "It's a shame you didn't have any resin. Paimon would have loved to get some more treasure!"
"Yeah. All I got out of it was…primogems?" Aether blinked, feeling around in his pocket and pulling out over a hundred of the minuscule, star-shaped gems. "I was gonna call them 'abyssal stars,' but I guess they turn into primogems once you leave."
He frowned. All that, and he got a bunch of worthless garbage. Yes, he may have gotten a hint of Lumine's whereabouts, but it would have been nice to have earned some mora at the very least.
He turned around, tossed the primogems over his shoulder, and left.
Five seconds later, he tripped over a Debate Club.
"What the — where did this come from?"
He picked himself up and nudged the Debate Club with his foot. Was this like those dendro smiles or whopperflowers, and this was actually a monster in disguise?
He used Elemental Sight. Nothing.
It was just a weapon.
Paimon came over and looked at it curiously. "That wasn't there before, was it?"
"Don't think so."
"And it only appeared after you put primogems into that portal, right?"
"I mean, I could have just not noticed it."
"No, it definitely wasn't there before! Try it again!"
Well, it's not like he had anything better to do with a bunch of rocks. He walked back to the portal and threw more primogems in.
He walked around, checking every inch of the island. There were no more weapons in sight.
"Maybe you should put in more primogems," Paimon suggested.
"Nothing will happen," he said, but he was already gliding down to the center of the island. He threw in what had to have been at least one hundred and sixty primogems.
He waited.
He waited some more.
"I'll admit, I'm kind of — ow, damn it!"
He rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm, reaching down and picking up a book with his other hand. It had flown out of the portal, slamming right into him.
"Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers," Paimon read aloud. "Oh, Paimon gets it! You do this domain, get primogems, and then you use the primogems to get weapons!"
Aether saw what she was talking about, but he was also quite grumpy after being smacked in the head by a giant book. "That's stupid," he grumbled. "We just didn't see it before."
"All right, now you're just messing with Paimon!"
Regaining his bearings, Aether looked back at the portal, resolving to get stronger and challenge the Spiral Abyss again — and not for the rewards, of course. No third-rate weapon were worth that much suffering.
Throughout their journey, Aether and Paimon would return to Musk Reef, tossing in their excess primogems. It never amounted to much, but the stardust that gathered on the weapons proved useful. The first ten or so times that they put stardust into the portal, it just gave another weapon, but eventually, it gave them mora.
Naturally, Paimon was obsessed.
"We have enough primogems for a wish! Come on, Aether! Let's go!"
"I'm in the middle of something!" he yelled after successfully blocking an attack from the Primo Geovishap.
"But Aetheeer! There's treasuuure!"
The Primo Geovishap gave a mighty roar, and Aether used the opportunity to run forward and stab his sword through its brain. It collapsed, shaking the earth itself. Aether pulled his sword out, grimacing at the slime.
"Ugh, brain juice," he said, holding his Favonius Sword as far away from him as possible. "Hey, Paimon, you could always use some more of that, right?"
"Paimon has enough brain juice for today, thank you! Now, are we getting treasure or not?"
Instead of answering, he warped to a statue, quickly went to the Spiral Abyss to throw in some primogems, teleported back to the portable waypoint that he had set by the Primo Geovishap, and threw his new Twin Nephrite at Paimon.
"Enjoy," he said drily. "I'm not going back there until I get stronger."
'So I can challenge the Spiral Abyss again.'
Despite knowing that it was unlikely, he knew deep down that Lumine wasn't waiting for him at the end of the Spiral Abyss. However, he couldn't help but hope for it.
All of that was torn away from him when she revealed herself as the Princess of the Abyss.
She wasn't trapped in the Abyss. She controlled it.
"Come home with me," he pleaded. "We can put all of this behind us!"
But Lumine's cold gaze did not falter. "Don't try to stop me," she said. "Don't try to stop the Abyss."
He ran after her, but she turned her back to him, leaving him alone once again.
He breathed heavily and stared at the ground with wide, empty eyes. Paimon floated up to him and unnecessarily recounted everything that had just happened.
Aether didn't listen. He just kept thinking about how Lumine had left him.
Finally, Paimon's chipper voice broke through.
"Come on, Aether! Let's go!"
Left with no other options, Aether hardened his heart and put on a mask. He nodded sharply, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
It was not until months later, long after he had saved Inazuma, that he finally told someone the truth about Lumine.
He looked into Ayaka's compassionate, blue-grey eyes. His heart pounded, but their intertwined fingers helped stabilize the rush of memories that had threatened to overwhelm him.
"Lumine is lost… but she isn't missing. She's the leader of the Abyss Order."
It was Ayaka's response that truly solidified his ever-growing feelings for her.
"Then it is up to us to save her."
He would have kissed her right then and there if it wasn't for Paimon interrupting them to say that she had gathered a hundred and sixty primogems. Needless to say, he threw his new Magic Guide at Paimon's face.
Fortunately, he and Ayaka were given innumerable moments alone to express their affections. She became a confidant, a companion — someone that he could trust and rely on. Eventually, she even became his lover.
The morning after they took that monumental step, Aether learned about Ayato's influence.
"Someone shoot me," he mumbled, dropping his forehead to the table. "Paimon, are you trying to tell me that the reason you were missing from the festival…"
"Was so Paimon wouldn't interrupt you," she said, looking anywhere but at Aether. "B-but Ayato had a good reason for fake kidnapping Paimon! He wanted you to —"
"'Continue the Kamisato Bloodline,'" Aether interrupted.
Next to him, Ayaka covered her red face with her hands and groaned in existential misery. While it was…reassuring, she supposed, to know that there was a reason behind Ayato's odd behavior, she did not want to learn about it next to Aether.
"I had a panic attack when you went messing," Aether said, his words muffled by the table. "Turns out you were getting chummy with Ayato and planning my sex life."
Paimon reached over and fluffed up Aether's hair. "Well, at least it all worked out in the end." She paused for a few seconds. "It… did work out, right?"
"I refuse to answer that question."
"Well, Paimon hopes it did, because Ayato has already announced Ayaka's pregnancy…"
"What?!" Aether and Ayaka shouted at the same time.
"Did Paimon forget to mention that?"
"Yes, you did!"
"Ehe…"
Aether glared at Paimon, but the effect was diminished by the table-shaped imprint on his forehead. "Hell, she's probably not even pregnant! We only did it once!"
"So, it did go well! Phew, Paimon thought she'd have to give bad news to Ayato!"
Aether was about to continue ranting at her, but a knock on the door interrupted him. "That's probably Zhongli," he said, standing up and walking to the door. "I don't know how many times I have to tell him that… he's, um, welcome… anytime?"
He opened the door not to the former Geo Archon… but to the current Electro Archon.
Ayaka gasped, shot out of her seat, and quickly transitioned to a bow. "Almighty Shogun! To what do we owe this great honor?"
Aether, on the other hand, did no such thing. "Ei? How did you get in here?"
Ayaka shifted her head to gape at him, but she didn't raise herself from her bow. "Show some respect!" she whispered, putting in as much incredulity as possible.
Aether shrugged. "We fought to the death then went shopping together. Pretty sure that puts us on a first-name basis."
"Do not forget traveling through time," Ei responded calmly.
"Plus, I'm technically your senior, aren't I?"
"For the last time, I will not call you 'Aether-sempai,'" Ei deadpanned.
Aether rolled his eyes. "Wasn't asking you to. Anyway, how did you get here?"
Ei nodded towards Paimon. "Your companion gave me a Realm Dispatch. I wanted to congratulate you on the upcoming birth of your child."
If Ei noticed Aether tackling Paimon, she didn't comment. Instead, she turned to Ayaka, saying, "Bringing new life into this world is the eternity that Inazuma seeks. You have done well, Kamisato Ayaka."
"Thank you?" Ayaka squeaked.
They heard another knock on the door. Aether and Ayaka froze. Paimon held her breath, knowing she was about to be in a lot more trouble.
"That must be the other guests," Ei said, turning around to open the door.
"Other guests?" Ayaka asked weakly.
She was expecting that Paimon had invited Ayato, Thoma, and maybe Yoimiya. However, while those three were certainly there, there were also dozens of other people, most of whom Ayaka had never met. She recognized some of them from the Lingering Moments in Aether's room, but she was too overwhelmed to identify any one person in particular.
Her boyfriend was older than the Almighty Shogun. The entirety of Teyvat thought that she was pregnant. Now, dozens of people had ambushed her. She simply could not process all of it.
At that point, the girl named "Ayaka" shut down. In her place was the heiress of the Kamisato Clan.
She put on a gentle smile, exuding grace and nobility. She walked through the crowd, meeting each and every person, but their names and faces were muted. This wasn't a simple ceremony or event that she had organized for the Yashiro Commission. These people were there to see her regarding the most private part of her life, and they were likely misinformed.
In a normal situation, Ayaka would have blushed and stammered at the thought of having a child with Aether, but this wasn't a normal situation. She was working on autopilot, smiling to hide the fact that she was inwardly screaming.
A teacup with lukewarm water and a single tea leaf was shoved into her hands. She blinked up at Thoma, who winked at her and said, "Congratulations!"
Ayaka nodded and took a sip of the tea. Despite its bland appearance, it was refreshing.
Invigorated, she gave Thoma a grateful nod. She could do this.
A dozen guests later, it was as if she had never had the tea. She was getting worn down, smiling face by smiling face.
Someone gripped her shoulder, so she turned around, trying not to show that she had tensed up. "Hello," she said pleasantly, not actually looking at her assailant. "I must thank you for joining us on this momentous occasion."
"Ayaka," she heard Aether say, "you okay?"
His voice broke through the fog of her mind, but she kept up her mask, lest it falter and never return. She refused to besmirch the honor of the Kamisato Clan. "Do not concern yourself with me," she said pleasantly. "I am simply happy to be with everyone."
"… Just hold tight. I'll be right back."
Ayaka nodded and forced herself to greet the next person: a red-haired, dour man who looked like he wanted to be there even less than she did. Despite that, his thin smile seemed genuine.
"Congratulations," he said in a flat tone, slowly swirling a glass of grape juice.
At his side, a tanned, blue-haired man playfully elbowed him in the ribs. "Is that all you have to say?" He shook his head and clucked his tongue in mock disappointment. "Our honorary knight settled down with a lovely lady, yet the world-renowned Diluc can only offer a mere platitude."
Diluc blinked at the other man and, as if to spite him, pulled out a gem-encrusted bottle of Dandelion Wine. "And where might your gift be, Kaeya?"
A bead of sweat appeared on Kaeya's cheek. "It's, ah, in the mail."
"… You forgot, didn't you?"
"We got the news one hour ago!"
"Thank you very much," Ayaka interrupted, feeling a strange mix of uncomfortable and grateful. She left without taking the bottle of wine; it was wrong to accept a gift on false pretenses.
Despite that, she received more gifts, such as a list of super-secret nap spots from Sayu and a "Statue of Her Excellency, the Almighty Narukami Ogosho, God of Thunder" from Kujou Sara, who hugged it to her chest before forcing it into Ayaka's arms and rushing away.
Some time later, as she went to greet another guest, she realized that there was no one else.
Not just no one new. She was completely alone.
The tension slowly left her shoulders. She let out a deep breath, which turned into a sigh of relief when she saw Aether walk out of the house.
"They're gone now, Ayaka. You can relax."
"I feel more exhausted than relaxed," she murmured. He wrapped his arms around her, and she melted into his embrace.
He looked at her with a soft gaze. "I had a little 'discussion' with Ayato and Paimon about springing this kind of stuff on you. I ended up having to comfort Paimon because of how bad she felt, but Ayato seemed… relieved." He pursed his lips. "Does this usually happen at events?"
"Some of them," she admitted, training her eyes on the grass. "It is not something to concern yourself over. I have taken charge of ceremonies since I was only six years old."
"That doesn't make it any easier," he said, squeezing her hand to comfort her. "I kind of get it. Lumine was always the level-headed talker. She thrived in environments like this. As for me? Well, let's just say that I hope no one's mad at how I kicked them out."
Ayaka felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry… Should we invite them back?"
Aether's lips twitched upwards. "I was thinking about our conversation yesterday where we said that the teapot felt empty. Well, I think we both realized the same thing: there weren't any people. So, I let them keep their Realm Dispatches."
Before she could stop herself, Ayaka blurted, "As long as I'm the only one allowed in our room."
Aether barked out a laugh. "Our room? Laying claim to me already, huh?"
"Is that an issue?" she asked with a glint in her eye, speaking closer to her normal volume.
"I already gave myself to you. Of course, it's not an issue."
As he said that, her heart rate shot right back up, but it was in the best way possible.
They walked back into their house. Ayaka half-expected there to be dozens of people waiting inside, but there was only one other man.
In the foyer, Aether had recreated the entrance to the Komore Teahouse. There was no Tauromaru, but the beverage aspect was virtually identical. At the bar sat the aforementioned man, sipping a cup of tea.
'This must be the friend that Aether mentioned,' Ayaka thought.
Aether grinned at the man. "Good morning, Zhongli. Sorry if it got a little hectic earlier."
Zhongli turned his head to look at them. His golden eyes pierced Ayaka's blue-grey ones, giving her the distinct impression that this man was hiding many great secrets.
"It is of little consequence," Zhongli said smoothly, focusing on Aether. "I am simply an ordinary man, so joining the crowd is something that I do every day."
Aether cocked an eyebrow. "When you talk like that, it makes me wonder how you've remained incognito for so long?"
Zhongli's eyes flicked back to Ayaka for a moment, but his expression remained impassive. "As I said, I am nothing more than a completely ordinary —"
"This is Ayaka," Aether said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "After all I told you about her, didn't you say that you, ah, 'deemed her worthy' of knowing your true identity?"
"I believe that I had too much Osmanthus Wine that evening," Zhongli said drily, "but I do agree that your future wife should know such things, especially since I am a resident in your home."
"Wait, I never said —"
A rare smile — and a smug one at that — lit up Zhongli's face. "Oh? Did you not wax poetic about how she makes your heart pound and your knees weak? Did you not say that a life with her would be a dream come true?"
Ayaka stifled a giggle. "Aether said all that?"
"He did, indeed. Osmanthus Wine loosens the lips."
"You should drink some of that around me," Ayaka told Aether coyly. Then, to Zhongli, "Please tell me more, Mister Zhongli."
Zhongli smiled. "It is just the three of us. If you would like, you may call me Morax."
"I will take you up on that offer, Mo…rax?"
Zhongli continued, oblivious to how Ayaka suddenly went pale and began to wobble. "Now, what was I saying? Ah, yes. Aether is quite the romantic. Do take care of that boy: beneath that strong exterior is a sensitive, kind-hearted —"
"I think that's enough!" Aether said in a high-pitched voice. "Thanks and bye!"
Zhongli looked on, forlorn. "Ah, I see. I was about to offer you some Osmanthus Wine, but I suppose that will have to wait."
"Another time, please! Great talking to you!"
With that, he guided a light-headed Ayaka to their room, locking the door behind them with a satisfied click.
"There, now we can finally —"
"That was the Geo Archon," Ayaka whispered, trying not to hyperventilate.
"Er, former," Aether said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"The Lord of Geo lives in your house."
"Well, it's not like he has any money…"
"How does the Geo Archon have no money?!"
Aether launched into an explanation about the gnosis and what had happened to Zhongli's, but Ayaka barely heard any of it.
"You're on a first name basis with the Almighty Shogun! She was in your house!"
"Blame Paimon for that. She's the one who gave out the Realm Dispatches."
"That's not the point!" Trying to get rid of her excess energy, Ayaka bunched up the sheets, holding back tears.
Aether knew what was coming next. She'd renounce what she had said about accepting him and his strange life. She'd yell at him for not trusting her. She'd tell him to stay away from her, and she'd leave.
But, of course, none of that happened.
"Aether… are you okay?"
He gaped at her. "Wh-what?"
Ayaka pushed a few strands of hair away from her face, as she looked up at him with shimmering eyes.
"I know that you're a hero. I know that you've done the impossible. And I… I can't imagine how hard it must be with Lumine being on the other side."
Despite his best efforts, Aether winced. This only motivated Ayaka further.
"Seeing you around these gods that are so far above you and I…"
"They're not that different," he mumbled. "Venti's a drunk, Zhongli's a storyteller that knows way too much about rocks, and Ei's a nerd."
"The fact that you are even capable of viewing them as such proves how fantastical your journey has been." She tugged on his sleeve, guiding him to sit beside her on the bed. "Gods do not typically view humans as friends unless they have accomplished feats far beyond anyone else's, but the road to get there is always filled with unbelievable hardship."
"I can handle it," he said stiffly.
"I know that you can, but you shouldn't have to." From his side, she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder. "Every time I learn something about you, I realize that your life is even harder than I had thought. Please, be honest: are you okay?"
Part of him wanted to shout out that no, he wasn't. You can't go from exploring a grassy field to facing down ancient gods without getting messed up in the head, but he couldn't tell her that. How selfish could he be to have the woman he loved in his arms and feel anything but ecstatic?
All he was doing was causing her pain.
"I'm okay," he said with a smile that even he could tell was forced.
She shut her eyes tight. "You're strong, Aether," she said quietly, "but what happens when you're not strong enough? What happens if you break and I'm not good enough to pick up the pieces?"
'Not strong enough,' his mind echoed.
"You're more than enough," he reassured her, "but don't worry. I'm not going to break."
'Because I'm going to get stronger.'
His goal to save Lumine hadn't changed. Seeking out the archons was still his primary method, but there was another avenue that could lead to some information.
"Descend the Spiral Abyss and prove your strength."
"I'm going to get stronger," he promised her aloud.
He'd become so strong, nothing could touch him. No monster, no Harbinger, no god could stand against him.
He'd become so strong, Ayaka wouldn't cry over his weakness.
'I'm coming for you, Spiral Abyss.'
"Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Aether collapsed on his hands and knees in front of the portal at Musk Reef. Paimon flew over to him, wondering what could have made him so upset in only two minutes.
What she didn't know… was that Aether had been in there for days.
He had reset hundreds of times. He could have filled pools with how much blood he had lost.
But he couldn't stop.
"Descend the Spiral Abyss and prove your strength."
That was Lumine's voice. Somehow, if he got to the bottom of Floor Twelve, he'd get more information.
If he proved how strong he was, he wouldn't make Ayaka cry like that again.
Ignoring Paimon's protests, Aether ran through the portal, challenging Floor Eleven once again.
In a large office in the Kamisato Estate, Ayaka was doing paperwork.
Her life had changed in so many ways. Her perspective on reality itself had been radically warped.
Yet, there she was, doing paperwork.
She sighed, put her elbow on the table, and held her chin in her hand. With the other hand, she doodled some sunflowers on a spare piece of paper.
She knew that it was unprofessional, but she was thinking about a boy while she was supposed to be doing work.
Both her and Aether had been in a bit of a rough state when she had left him. She had realized that his psychological issues ran deeper than she had originally thought. In an attempt to assuage her fears, he had inadvertently proved her right.
"I'm going to get stronger," he had said before activating her Realm Dispatch, sending her back to her room at the Kamisato Estate.
Naturally, Ayaka wasn't just going to let him stew. She had immediately activated the Dispatch again and searched his entire manor, but he was nowhere to be found. She had consulted his teapot spirit — whose mere existence was a bit of a shock — but Tubby had no idea where Aether was. She had even subtly asked her informants in Inazuma City and Ritou, but it seemed that Aether had left the country itself.
And so, she waited.
She knew that Aether would come back. He wasn't a flight risk. Still, this was the man who had actively sought out a fight with the Almighty Shogun after barely surviving their first encounter.
Aether won that second fight without breaking a sweat.
If he didn't consider himself strong after that, then Ayaka feared what reckless actions he would take to increase his physical prowess.
She massaged her temples, trying to stave off a migraine. She definitely could have handled that better. She could only hope that he came back soon so they could talk it out.
She heard a light knocking on her door. "Come in," she said, quickly picking herself up and organizing her desk. Luckily, there was no need to keep up appearances. It was just Ayato, sipping his boba tea from a straw.
"Hello," he said casually, extending the second syllable.
"Hi," Ayaka said in a clipped tone.
Ayato raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He took another sip from his straw, but, judging by the sound, there was no liquid left.
Ayaka sighed and stopped pretending to work. "Do you need something?"
"Perhaps I just wanted to visit my darling sister?"
"I would have believed that yesterday. Now, I cannot help but question your every move." She pursed her lips. "Do not misunderstand me. I am grateful, Ayato. You have always had my best interests in mind, and you have sacrificed much for this family."
Ayato hummed noncommittally. He had never been one to accept credit. "I hear a 'but.'"
"… But did you have to kidnap Paimon?"
"I did not," he admitted, much to her surprise. "After conversing with her, I discovered that she was a better ally than enemy. Why, was she upset?"
"Paimon wasn't, no," Ayaka said. "I am frustrated on Aether's behalf."
"That is understandable. I had not accounted for how close they were. Her disappearance must have given him quite the fright."
"That's just it," Ayaka said quietly. "He didn't think that she was kidnapped. He thought that she abandoned him."
"… Ah." Ayato sat down in the chair opposite Ayaka's desk. His posture was that of royalty, but his bowed head belied his true feelings. "I should apologize to him."
"You should," Ayaka agreed, narrowing her eyes. "While you're at it, perhaps you should apologize to both of us for announcing a nonexistent pregnancy to all of Teyvat!"
Ayato didn't point out how that was also part of his plan. It gave Ayaka temporary immunity from people that wished to seize control of the Yashiro Commission. If the pregnancy was indeed false, Ayaka and Aether would keep trying to produce an heir in order to save face.
Was that manipulative and cruel? Yes, but it also preserved her life, and it would give her happiness in the long run. Ayato had long since learned to live with himself so long as he didn't stray too far from that goal.
He dipped his head. "I am sorry," he said sincerely. "My intent has never been to cause you pain."
Ayaka's eyes softened. "I know. I am not angry, brother. There is just a lot going on."
"I can understand acting out due to frustration. Why, when I had just assumed responsibility for the Shuumatsuban —"
"You broke Saizo's wrist," Ayaka finished for him, trying to give him a reproachful look. "You repeat your tales like an old man, brother."
"What can I say? Talking to my annoying, little sister destroys what few brain cells I have left."
He laughed and ran out of the room, dodging cryo-infused quills as he did so.
The moment the door shut behind him, Ayaka let a smile creep up her face. Everything else may have changed, but at least her brother stayed the same.
Deciding to get back to work, she reached for her quill, only to find that she had thrown all of them at Ayato. Getting out of her seat, she walked through the door and —
"Ayaka."
She squeaked and jumped backwards, wondering how someone could have snuck up to her so quietly. Wasn't she trained by her brother, a literal ninja?
Well, if anyone would be able to startle her, it was Aether.
"Aether, what… what happened to you?"
It had only been a few hours since they had last seen each other, but Aether's expression was of someone who had seen months of battle. There was always that look of sadness in his eyes, but it had lightened up quite a bit in the months following the Vision Hunt Decree's abolishment.
But, right now, he looked worse than a soldier coming back from the front lines.
Ayaka tentatively reached a hand out to cup Aether's cheek. "Are you okay?" she asked, trying to soothe him, but her words had the opposite effect.
He wrenched away from her. "I beat Floor Eleven," he snapped. "I'm faster. I'm stronger. I'm better. I can handle it, okay?"
She flinched at his tone, but she knew that this wasn't Aether talking. She saw the look in his eyes. This wasn't about their last conversation. This wasn't her fault or even his.
Something was seriously wrong.
"Where were you?" she asked gently, reaching out again. "What's this 'Floor Eleven'?"
This time, it was his turn to flinch. Ayaka knew that she was on the right track.
"Take me there," she said just as quietly, but it wasn't a request. "Whatever it is, we'll defeat it together."
He averted his eyes. A lot of his excess energy fled. Ayaka considered that to be great progress.
"The entrance is near Mondstat," he said, his exhaustion emanating from his voice. "I still don't know how to teleport people besides myself and Paimon."
"Then I will provide aid from afar," she said, not letting her disappointment show. "Name it, and I shall give it."
He shook his head. "I can't bring anything besides my sword. No other people, either—even Paimon can't come in." He clenched his fists, as some of his old fire leapt to his eyes. "But that doesn't matter. I've made it this far. I will defeat the Spiral Abyss."
"Spiral Abyss?" Ayaka echoed, as alarm bells rang through her mind. "Anything involving the Abyss is something that you shouldn't do alone."
"I've challenged it alone for months," he said heatedly. "Why should I stop now?"
"Because now, you have me."
She let that sink in for a moment. She knew that it would take a long time for him to accept that.
He recovered more quickly than she thought he would. "Will you go out with me?"
"Eh?!" The sudden shift in topic threw her off guard, but she gratefully latched onto it. "Pardon my presumptuous question, but were we not already in courtship?"
"The way you say it is so old-fashioned," he said fondly. "And yeah, I'd say that we were, but it's still nice to hear it from you."
The massive tonal change unnerved Ayaka, further strengthening her belief that this "Floor Eleven" had messed with his already fragile psyche.
She gulped and set aside her worries for the moment. "I would very much like to 'go out with you,'" she said, unable to stop herself from blushing.
A smile lit up Aether's face. "Great! So, I can pick you up for a date later today?"
"But there aren't any festivals," she said, confused.
Aether laughed. "A 'date' is just spending alone time with someone that you love."
Ayaka's blush deepened. That was the second time that he had said that he loved her. She quickly went to say it back, but he cut her off.
"I'll see you soon," he said, winking at her before teleporting away.
The butterflies in her stomach screamed at her, protesting at the unfinished business. All she could do was roll her eyes, as this was exactly the kind of thing that she had signed up for.
She began to turn around, but a flash of blonde caught her eye. Aether turned a sharp corner into the Kamisato Estate, running right up to Ayaka, taking her into his arms and kissing her soundly.
He pulled back, leaving her breathless. "I love you," she said quickly, lest he leave before she could tell him that again, "and you are strong, Aether. You don't need some 'Floor Eleven' to tell you that."
For a moment, she worried that he'd shut down again, but he simply smiled. It seemed that she had gotten it right this time.
She silently pleaded that there wasn't a Floor Twelve.
He left again, with both of them feeling a bit better about their situation. Ayaka knew that Aether clearly wasn't doing well, but she had also been given a chance to help. They'd figure it out.
She tried to get back to work, but her mind kept wandering, thinking about her upcoming date. She found herself humming the same song that she had sung for Aether during her fan dance.
She wondered if he knew that fan dances were intended to be sensual.
… She definitely didn't want Ayato to know that she had done that.
Speaking of Ayato, he came by again, having heard her humming. With a mischievous grin, he said, "Ah, so this is the legendary hummingmoon phase."
He then ducked out of the room before she could throw something at him.
She sighed to herself. It seemed that she wouldn't get any work done today. She picked up all of her papers, walked to Ayato's office, placed them on his desk for him to do instead, and retreated to her room.
Before the hour was up, she found herself closing her eyes and humming the same tune, dancing the same dance. As it reached its apex, she raised her fan up and felt a somewhat familiar pulling sensation behind her navel —
"Ayaka?!"
She opened her eyes and gasped, instinctively hiding her fan behind her. "Aether?! What are you doing here?!"
His eyes widened as he looked at her. Noticing her surroundings, she did the same.
She was not in her room. Instead, she was on a podium in what seemed to be a small island. Surrounding Aether were dozens of Debate Clubs, Emerald Orbs, and Sacrificial Greatswords.
He gave her a shaky grin. "I, uh, I summoned you! For our date!"
She repeatedly opened and closed her mouth, trying to find the words. In the end, she decided to just accept it. This wasn't nearly the strangest thing that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
"I thought that you couldn't teleport other people," she said.
He blinked at how distinctly unbothered she seemed. His smile turned coy. "I can't," he said. "You're here because I kept wishing for you to be by my side."
Ayaka wasn't proud of it, but those words were enough to make her forget the strange circumstances that had brought her here. She stared at a Skyrider Sword in the distance, unable to meet his gaze.
He stepped forward and brought his lips close to her ear, hoping that she wouldn't react poorly to his corny line. "It seems that our fates have intertwined."
She melted into a puddle of embarrassment and affection. He made it worse by tilting her face towards his and kissing her.
Aether didn't know how he got lucky enough to be with a girl as easy to please as Ayaka. That didn't mean that he wouldn't put in effort — he just had some leeway when he used objectively terrible pick-up lines.
He pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers, savoring the moment. "I missed you," he said quietly.
"It's been an hour," Ayaka teased, though she clearly didn't mind.
Aether's smile faltered. It had been a couple of days for him.
"Do you mind if we do an experiment?" he asked, changing the subject.
Ayaka's eyes shifted, surveying the rocky, watery landscape. "I suppose that this is isolated enough, but I cannot imagine it being comfortable."
"Not that kind of experiment," he said quickly. "That's later, b-but only if you want! I'm not trying to pressure! And this isn't about continuing your bloodline!"
Ayaka placed a finger over his lips, her eyes gleaming with mirth. "I'm just teasing you. But, yes, later is quite fine."
"Were our roles just reversed?!"
She laughed so cutely, it was blatantly unfair to anyone else trying to be cute. "Now, what did you want to try?"
He gathered his thoughts. "I was trying to… Oh, yeah!"
They both felt that same pull behind their navel, and they vanished, appearing underneath a tree that was even larger than the Sacred Sakura.
"Welcome to Windrise," Aether said, spreading his arms, "where the great hero Vanessa ascended to Celestia and became a god! … Supposedly."
Ayaka looked around in amazement, reveling in the sheer amount of elemental energy that permeated her entire being.
"It's like a massive sakura bloom, except it's anemo," she noted, smiling softly.
"I bet you've never felt wind like this," Aether said with a smug grin. "Blessed by Barbatos himself."
Ayaka looked at him skeptically. "You said that about the tea."
"Okay, yes, but this is actually blessed by him. Want to climb the tree?"
"But I can't — woah!"
Aether grabbed her arm as a gust of wind shot them into the air. She let out a scream, gripping him as tight as possible, as he used his glider to deposit them onto one of the upper branches.
She took a minute to catch her breath. Aether, as calm as ever, waited expectantly.
"That… was amazing," she said, pressing her hand over her heart and feeling it pound against her rib cage. "How did you do that?"
"Uh… Barbatos's blessing?"
"That's not how an archon's blessing works," Ayaka pointed out. "Besides, I've already seen your anemo powers, and that was something else entirely."
He ran a hand through his hair, keeping himself stable on the branch with his other hand. "I developed other abilities out of necessity," he admitted. "At a certain point, my abilities just weren't enough, so I took inspiration from some friends."
Ayaka stared blankly at him. "You decided that you want abilities, chose what they were, and you got them?"
"I worked on them for months," he defended.
"I'm not saying you didn't. I'm trying to say that I'm impressed."
"Oh," he said sheepishly. "Sorry."
"There is no need to apologize," she said, still trying to gather her bearings. "Every time we speak, I learn something new and incredible about you."
"In other words, I should keep some secrets to stay interesting. Got it."
She laughed and laid a hand on his arm, but this caused her to lose her balance. Aether quickly reached around and caught her before she could fall.
"Careful now," he said, steadying her. "Maybe we should move our date to somewhere safer."
Within the span of a single breath, Ayaka went from sitting on the branches of a massive tree to sitting on a wooden chair outside of a small restaurant. She couldn't even bring herself to act surprised.
She looked around with a wide smile, soaking up the unfamiliar sights. "Where are we?" she asked breathily. Her voice was almost drowned out by the busy, crowded street, but Aether was close enough to hear her.
"Welcome to Liyue Harbor," he said, waving an open palm at everything in sight. "Here at Wanmin Restaurant, anyone can enjoy a fantastic meal, whether you're a merchant, the Tianquan… or just a cute girl on a date."
Ayaka choked up. He knew how much that meant to her.
It was the simple things in life that she craved most. It was being able to walk the streets as Ayaka, not the Heiress of the Kamisato Clan.
Here in Liyue, where the Tri-Commission itself was niche information, she could do just that.
She gave him a look that said, "If we weren't in public, I would kiss you."
He tried to return that expression, but he ended up looking quite silly. Somehow, Ayaka seemed to find it cute.
Within minutes of arriving, Xiangling came to take their order. "Hey, Aether!" she chirped. "Are you finally here to try some Slime —"
"The usual is fine, thanks," he interjected, which Xiangling seemed to have expected.
"Please make one for me, as well," Ayaka said, having no idea what she was about to get into, which only added to the thrill.
Xiangling flashed a smile and went back to the kitchen.
Aether leaned over and spoke in a hushed voice. "Don't mention that you're from Inazuma. We won't be able to leave until you tell her what specters taste like."
Ayaka looked confused. "Specters do not have a taste. They're incorporeal."
"They seem pretty solid to me," he muttered.
Lunch — consisting of boiled fish with a side of Junyun Chilis — was a pleasant, albeit strange affair. Aether summoned Paimon and gave half of his portion to her. Spying Paimon, Xiangling came over, asking if she could try cooking "that fascinating specimen."
"For the last time, Paimon is not Emergency Food! Paimon has already told you that!"
Xiangling put on a confused expression, but she sneakily looked at Aether and winked before saying to Paimon, "Wow, I've never met an ingredient that talks before! Maybe you'll taste good with Hoarfrost Cores."
Paimon stomped her feet and spewed forth a variety of grunts, screeches, and angry squeaks. Aether wished that recording devices had been invented in Teyvat, if only for this moment.
Ayaka was having the time of her life.
When they finished, Aether looked at her and asked, "Does your cryo vision protect you from the cold?"
She raised a single eyebrow at him. Aether pushed down a twinge of jealousy because he had failed to master that after millennia of attempts.
"It does not," she said. "Will we need to grab a coat?"
Aether reached behind his back and pulled out a bottle with a gaseous, red substance inside of it. "I came prepared," he said, holding out the warming bottle.
In truth, all of this was completely impromptu — his original date plan was just to re-enact their walk through Chinju Forest. After all, she had never been able to teleport with her before being summoned, but now, the whole world was their oyster.
He took her to see Dragonspine, Junyun Karst, the Cathedral of Barbatos — where an enthusiastic Barbara congratulated them on their non-existent pregnancy — and finally, that little, floating island high above the adepti's abode.
They sat on one of the benches, as Ayaka leaned her head on his shoulder. "Today was perfect," she said, watching the sunset and covering up a yawn. "I don't know if you realize how much this means to me."
"I think I do," he said, wrapping an arm around her. "It's the same feeling I get whenever I see you after a rough fight."
It was odd, they supposed, how their desires were nearly polar opposites, but being with each other was the solution.
Ayaka got to be a normal girl, or at least, as normal as one could be while in Aether's company. She got to experience all that the world had to offer, either through stories or through days like this. She was with someone who saw her as Ayaka instead of the Shirasagi Himegimi.
Aether had someone whom he could always return home to — who loved him despite all of his glaring flaws. Someone who would offer him a warm smile on a freezing night, letting him momentarily forget his struggles.
… Perhaps their desires weren't so different, after all.
He closed his eyes, breathing in the night air. He wanted… no, he needed to protect this, but he wasn't sure if he was enough. Just how many fights had been close calls? What if he fought someone like Scaramouche who could easily catch him off guard?
He squeezed Ayaka's shoulder protectively. He would become stronger so that a day like this could happen again.
"Descend the Spiral Abyss and prove your strength."
At that point, he didn't know if he was doing it for Lumine or Ayaka, but one thing was for sure.
Tonight, he would go back to the Spiral Abyss.
"I had a wonderful day, Aether," Ayaka said, looking up at him with shining eyes.
He deflected the implicit compliment. "Need I remind you how it started?"
She did her best to meet his gaze without blushing. "It started with me waking up in bed next to the man I love."
He couldn't help it. He kissed her again, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her body flush against his. She gasped into his mouth, and he took advantage of that, deepening the kiss.
She pulled back, panting. "Stay. I need you."
Aether had never heard words so sweet.
Once again, he stood before the portal.
As much as it had pained him, he had left Ayaka's side in the dead of night, whispering in her ear that he'd be back within a few hours. She had shifted in her sleep, wrapping her arms around him, making it even more difficult to leave.
But he had to become stronger.
He had seen the beginning of Floor Twelve. Rifthounds, sturdier than any he had ever encountered before, surrounded him on all sides, breaking through his meager defenses. Vishaps, ruin machines, specters — enhanced versions of all manner of creatures had assaulted him, tearing off his limbs and breaking his spine. He had been nanoseconds from death on numerous occasions, but he always teleported to a Statue of the Seven.
At least, until they ran out of healing power, in which case he waited for a while. He was bullheaded, not suicidal.
He steeled his gaze and clenched his jaw. Paimon appeared in a shower of stars, gazing at him in concern.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked. "Paimon doesn't know what's in there, but it doesn't seem to make you very happy…"
"I'm okay," he said evenly. "I'll be back soon, Paimon."
He ran through the portal, not looking back.
Paimon waited for an entire day, but Aether didn't return.
She flew around wildly, biting her fingernails. She passed through the portal, but she just appeared on the other side.
Was Aether trapped? Was he hurt? Was he —
No. She refused to consider that last one.
But what else could she do?
"If Paimon can't talk sense into Aether, maybe Ayaka can?"
There was no guarantee that Ayaka would be able to enter the domain, but Paimon was out of options.
Using the method that Aether had shown her, she teleported to the waypoint by the Kamisato Residence, finding Ayaka practicing swordplay in the courtyard.
"Ayakaaa!"
Ayaka whirled around and sliced her sword, leaving it inches from Paimon's neck. She blinked in surprise. "Oh, hello, Paimon. My most sincere apologies. Had I been any deeper into my routine, I might have accidentally decapitated you."
"… You're kinda scary, Ayaka."
"My brother is the leader of the Shuumatsuban. I have picked up some habits."
Paimon nodded warily. It was probably for the best that Aether had someone watching out for him that wasn't a complete softy.
"Oh, right!" she exclaimed, having reminded herself why she had come here. "I need your help!"
Ayaka bit her lip. "Is Aether in trouble?"
"Maybe? Probably?"
She sighed. "That boy, I swear… When he left last night, I figured that he had a commission from the Adventurer's Guild, but it seems that he was off doing something reckless. Where is he now?"
"A domain off the coast of Mondstat."
Ayaka's eyes flashed dangerously. "Is this the Floor Eleven that he spoke of?"
Paimon nodded slowly.
"Take me there. Now."
Paimon flinched back after seeing Ayaka's expression, but she also felt quite confident that Aether was in good hands.
She grabbed onto Ayaka's shoulder, focusing on bringing both of them to Musk Reef. Against all odds, it worked. It seemed that "summoning" Ayaka made her an exception to the normal rules.
Hopefully, that included entering this strange domain.
Ayaka stood in front of the portal, taking deep breaths. She thought of all of her training in swordplay, discipline, and strength. She thought of her intrinsic desire to protect people.
Her beloved mother and father may have passed away when Ayaka was a child, but she wasn't a child anymore.
Keeping one hand on the Amenoma Kageuchi that Aether had forged for her, she walked into the portal…
… and saw hell.
The domain itself held an otherworldly beauty, with what appeared to be the moon and stars just outside of the arena. The monsters within, however, were a terror to behold.
Aether was single-handedly fighting all of them.
Dried blood caked his face. His sword hung loosely in his hands, as he panted from exertion. With speed that shouldn't be possible from anyone, let alone a man on the verge of collapsing, he dodged the claws of four rifthounds. In quick succession, he trapped them in a whirlwind of anemo, petrified them with a massive geo construct that flew down from the heavens, and struck them with a bolt of lightning.
The rifthounds turned to dust, but two giant ones replaced them. Aether dealt with them in a similar manner.
Breathing heavily, he held out an open palm, watching as two glittering stars fell into it. His face twisted up in fury.
He threw his sword across the arena, lamenting his lack of strength. He screamed and he raged and he wept, but not once did he fall to his knees.
Ayaka pounded against an invisible barrier, but she could not break through. She screamed his name, but he could not hear her.
Aether walked to the center of his room, holding his head high. A massive, crimson key appeared, floating in the air. He touched it, and the fight began anew.
The cycle repeated for what felt like days.
Somehow, Ayaka didn't feel the need to eat or sleep. All she felt was pure, unadulterated anxiety. There was a strange, alien sort of thrill to it, but it was overshadowed by the fear that she felt.
Every time that Aether fought, he became more and more tired. His movements became sluggish. His wounds split open wider.
His determination never faltered.
But determination was not the same as a shield. A vishap snuck up behind him, aiming its claws at Aether's neck —
"No!"
With her vision glowing bright, Ayaka slammed into the barrier with all of her might. It shattered like ice, showering her with fractals of light. She dashed into the ground, moving faster than she had ever moved before, appeared underneath the vishap, and stabbed her sword into its heart. Icy flowers spread throughout its body, freezing it from the inside out. Just like the barrier, it shattered under the weight of her power.
It would never harm anyone ever again.
She spun around, taking a shocked Aether into her arms. She didn't ask if he was okay. She knew the answer.
She briefly noticed three shimmering, silver stars fall into Aether's open hand. She had half a mind to grab them and throw them over the edge.
"H-How did you get in here?" he asked.
"That's not important," she said, squeezing him comfortingly. She gently traced some fresh scars on his face, neck, and arms. "We need to get you to a healer."
He jerked away, ignoring the hurt look in her eyes. "And that's exactly why I need to keep fighting. I don't want you to worry about me."
"I will always worry about you," she said heatedly. "Why can't you get that through your thick skull?!"
She winced, having surprised herself with her sudden spike of frustration. Was it because Aether was being silly, or was there something more sinister about this place?
"Just back off," Aether said coolly with an unnatural light in his eyes. "I'm doing this for you."
"If this was for me, you'd understand that I want you to leave!"
He tore at his hair so hard, it looked like he may rip it off. "Then what about Lumine, huh?"
"What about her?"
"Hear that voice at the beginning? That's my god damn sister! She's trapped in here, and I need to save her!"
Ayaka pursed her lips. For a variety of reasons, that just didn't make sense. Why would the Princess of the Abyss be trapped within the Abyss? Why would she send so many monsters to attack Aether? From what he had told Ayaka, Lumine wanted Aether away from the fighting.
Aether interrupted her thoughts. "Leave this place," he ordered. "I'm not letting you get hurt."
She did everything that she could to force down her uncharacteristic anger. "I'm not leaving without you," she said evenly.
"And I'm not leaving until I reach the end."
Months ago, Ayaka would have given in. She would have stayed back, anxiously awaiting for him to return.
But Ayaka had learned to live without regrets.
She took a deep breath and stood up for herself. "Under no circumstances are you facing this on your own," she said, frowning. "If we must do this, then we will do it together."
The worry in his eyes strengthened, but the tension in his shoulders lessened. "Okay," he said after a long pause. "Just follow my lead."
"…Thank you."
"Don't thank me. You've just walked straight into Hell."
She pulled out her Amenoma Kageuchi, running her finger over the flat of the blade. Icy flowers trailed behind it, covering the entire sword in cryo energy. Within the blink of an eye, it was at his neck, hovering in front of his trachea.
"I have trained in the art of the sword since I could hold a blade," she said calmly, as if his life wasn't in the literal palm of her hand. "For once in your life, let me protect you."
He narrowed his eyes and gestured upwards. Right above her head was a meteor with electro dancing around it. If he weren't actively holding it in the air with his power, it would have killed her in an instant.
"How about we compromise," he said, just as calmly as she had. "Let's fight side by side."
Ayaka sheathed her sword. Aether sent the rock flying over the edge.
"I will fight alongside you," Ayaka conceded, "but only to prove that this place is doing more harm than good."
Aether's lips curled downward, but he knew that arguing was pointless. Ayaka thought that he was strong enough. Aether knew that he was weak.
He focused his gaze on the stars in her hand. "That's all three Abyssal Stars. Now, we can enter the next chamber."
"How many chambers are there?"
"Three per floor. I can't save Lumine without getting all nine stars."
Ayaka didn't comment. She held her hand out towards the wall. The stars moved towards it like magnets, clinging to the barrier which dissipated before their eyes.
Aether strode forward, but he was stopped by Ayaka's hand in his.
"Together," she reminded him, matching his pace. Her blue-grey eyes weren't clouded.
Aether's eyes were more clear than before, but the fires of determination meshed terribly with the shadows of the Abyss. He gave a sharp nod and walked up the stairs.
"Descend the Spiral Abyss and prove your strength."
Chamber Two itself seemed similar to the previous one, with stars and planets floating around them and a glowing, red key in the center of the room. Aether walked up to it and hovered his hand over the key, not quite grasping it.
He turned to Ayaka. "This is your last chance to turn back."
In response, she placed her hand on the pommel of her sword, preparing to fight.
The moment that Aether touched the key, a brownish-yellow rift opened, and Ayaka felt somewhat strange. It wasn't fear, though they were certainly experiencing their fair share of anticipation. It wasn't the inherent darkness of the Spiral Abyss.
It felt like the energy was slowly being drained from her body.
"Corrosion," Aether said, his face twisted in disgust. "Not even shields can stop it, and neither of us are healers."
"Then we simply need to kill it quickly."
Cryo energy swirled around Ayaka, as she prepared her most powerful attack. The head of a massive Rifthound appeared from the portal. The moment that it did, Ayaka released three waves of frost, sharp as a blade, shredding the wolf's skin like it was nothing. Within moments, it fell to the ground and disappeared into nothingness. Three Abyssal Stars fell into Ayaka's palm.
All was silent.
Ayaka turned to Aether and raised an eyebrow. He hung his head in shame, bemoaning his perceived weakness, as some of the cloudiness left his eyes.
Ayaka scowled, as her intuition was proven correct. "Now I see why I need to take you home as soon as possible."
Aether clenched his fist. "The second wave approaches," he said flatly, brushing off her concern. "Prepare yourself."
The chamber wavered like a mirage. Their world went dark, and a moment later, they found themselves in an identical chamber.
Waiting for them was not a key nor monsters but a single man.
A strange light came into Aether's eyes. "I was expecting a challenge. Doesn't the Abyss know that I demolish this memory every week?"
The man pushed back his messy, orange hair, as he slung his bow over his shoulder. "Just when I was asking for this place to get a bit more challenging, she throws me a bone," he said with a manic grin. "Give me all you got! Spare no mercy!"
"Oh, don't worry," Aether said smugly. "This'll be over within seconds, Childe."
The man — Childe — grinned even wider. "You're quite confident, comrade. Well then, amuse me."
Ayaka glanced at Aether out of the corner of her eye. "You know this man?"
Aether nodded, never keeping his eyes off Childe. "The Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers, Tartaglia, also known as Childe."
"That's —"
"The man who set Osial in Liyue Harbor… and the asshole that I beat up every week. I never expected to face his memory in the Abyss, though."
There was no more time for questions. Childe assaulted them with seven hydro arrows fired in quick succession, giving them time to dodge but not breathe. Aether weaved in and out with practiced ease, landing a few sword strikes on Childe before twisting away from a predicted attack.
Ayaka didn't have such foreknowledge, so she stuck to her instincts and training, dashing out of sight and reappearing to slash across Childe's back. He dodged just in time, so Ayaka's blade only scraped his shoulder.
Childe laughed, as he retaliated with another arrow. "Such dirty tactics… A woman after my own heart, it seems."
Ayaka responded with the grace of a princess and the coldness of a samurai. "A man who attacks Aether is one whom I will never love."
"Hah! Who said anything about love? I just want a sparring partner!"
He spun around to dodge a strike from Aether, who called out, "I beat the shit out of you all the time! Am I not enough?"
"What, are you jealous?"
"No, I just don't want someone else stealing my fun!" He grit his teeth, as yet another strike failed to hit. "Damn Abyss — this is way harder than it used to be!"
Childe smirked, lazily slashing his water swords at Aether who almost couldn't dodge in time. "My, my, you've gotten quite a bit faster, but my blade is swifter than it has ever been. Achieving three stars has never been so simple."
Aether paused mid-strike. He blinked, halfway through a lunge. "Wait, what did you just say?"
Covering for Aether's distraction, Ayaka unleashed the same attack as the one that had destroyed the rifthound. Childe dodged, but the cryo bloom split into three, trapping him.
A second and a half was all that it took for Childe to fall to his knees, gasping for breath. "And here I… haah… thought that I'd… haah… gotten strong enough…"
Ayaka approached the downed figure with narrowed eyes, sheathing her blade. Aether ran over and grabbed her from behind, pulling her away.
"Aether! What are you —"
"Get down!"
Putting aside her questions, Ayaka shifted to the side and covered both her face and neck. It was just in time, too; hydro and electro energy swirled around Tartaglia, as he levitated off the ground. Dark-purple armor materialized, covering his entire body. Finally, a one-eyed mask hid his face. A raspy, demon-like voice emitted from it.
"You've gotten stronger, comrade… and your little girlfriend is no pushover, either."
Aether instinctively stepped in front of Ayaka. After a long pause, he admitted, "You're more powerful than your weekly boss counterpart."
A hoarse laugh erupted from Tartaglia. "So, you have those, too? I knew that you were just like me!"
"Are you really pulling that cliché bullshit? I'm nothing like you!"
"Oh? Are fights not easy? Are you not constantly seeking a challenge? And — once you finally face a challenge that you cannot beat — do you not train until you can defeat it perfectly?"
Aether said nothing.
"Those memories that you fight every week… They're a trap. They bring you here — to the Spiral Abyss."
Ayaka spoke up, having been a bystander for far too long. "But these challenges are unrealistic. They're mere mirages that aren't reflective of the real world. They drive you insane!"
"They open your eyes," Tartaglia corrected. A dark-purple spear formed in his hand. "The Spiral Abyss is always one step ahead. It forces you to acknowledge your weakness. It drives you to become… something more."
"It turns people into you," Ayaka said heatedly. She wanted to feel compassion for this poor, lost soul, but she was donewith this man's insane viewpoint.
At her side, Aether went pale at her words. He looked at his hand and the bloody sword that it held.
'Is this the price of strength?' he wondered, thinking of Childe's mad grin as Osial was awakened.
'I'm doing this to protect Ayaka!'
She had proved that she didn't need protection. She was as strong, if not stronger than him.
'Lumine is at the bottom!'
He knew that she wasn't. Lumine didn't speak that coldly, even as the Princess of the Abyss.
Ayaka was right. Aether was doing this for himself.
He was challenging the Spiral Abyss because he felt weak.
… But was he actually weak?
He narrowed his eyes at Tartaglia. "I've already beaten you," he said.
"I've gotten stronger," Tartaglia retorted. He thrust his spear towards Aether's face, stopping an inch before Aether's neck. "I've trained in the Abyss for years. I've — "
Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a massive rock dropping on his head.
Childe fell onto the floor, knocked out of his Foul Legacy transformation before the fight could even begin. He slowly pushed himself up, but a small bolt of electricity shocked him, singing his hair.
Aether knelt beside Childe. "You want to get stronger? You want a real sparring partner, and not some mirage in a domain? Fight me in the real world. Every Monday at dawn, come find me."
Childe didn't move much, but Aether knew that he was understood.
He stood up and walked back to Ayaka, his eyes clear for the first time in an entire month.
"Let's go home, Ayaka."
He didn't deserve the look of pride and compassion that she gave him — not when he was the one that had caused her so much pain.
She slipped her hand in his, as he teleported them to a statue and then back to Musk Reef, where Paimon was anxiously awaiting them. Paimon rushed towards them at Mach speed, flinging her arms around Aether and clinging to him like a lifeline, half crying and half yelling at him for disappearing.
Despite everything, Aether laughed, pushing away Paimon like one might fend off an over-enthusiastic puppy. "I'm fine," he said, bopping her head. "I'm feeling pretty hungry, though, and we're all out of normal food…"
She made a sound that was a cross between a squeal and a whine. "That's it — no Paimon hugs for twenty-four hours!"
Her expression softened. "But… are you really okay, Aether?"
He looked to Ayaka, who nodded encouragingly. "I will be okay," he said honestly. "The Spiral Abyss really messes with your head."
Paimon bit her lip. "Maybe we should take a break?"
"What, from Abyss?"
"From everything."
Aether looked at her, shocked. "Wh-What do you mean?"
Paimon looked away, ashamed. "Paimon's been really worried about you. This place has always stressed you out, but recently…" She trailed off, carefully deciding how to phrase what she wanted to say. "Paimon thinks you need to spend a few days resting."
Normally, Aether would roll his eyes and dismiss Paimon. It was part of what made their dynamic fun.
But this? This was so utterly unlike her.
Paimon was the one encouraging him to use his resin. Paimon was the one insisting that he take on every quest that came his way on the off-chance that there might be treasure.
If Paimon was telling him to take a break…
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I always did want to try out the other teapot realm layouts."
Paimon lit up like the sun. "Ooh! Can we do the beach one, pleeaase?!"
Aether let out a hearty laugh. "Sure, Paimon. We can do the beach one." He faced Ayaka with a glimmer in his eyes. "Would you like to come with us?"
Ayaka's eyes gleamed mischievously. "I left all of my work on my brother's desk. I should be free for the next few days."
With that, Aether opened his teapot, and they vanished.
They never returned to Musk Reef ever again.
"You know, when Paimon said that I needed to take a break, I didn't imagine this."
"Would you prefer another activity?"
"I can think of one or two, but I'm fine if we start like this."
Aether and Ayaka faced each other on a beach in their domain, holding out their swords in a battle stance. Every movement, every breath was observed and accounted for, as both of them waited for the other to make their move.
It was the beginning of their sixteenth spar that morning. They were tied eight to eight.
Ayaka gave a coquettish grin, as she noticed Aether's eyes start to wander downwards. "Keep your eyes on your opponent," she chided, taking a step forward.
"That's what I said to you last match," he grumbled, tearing his eyes away. "Whose idea was it to spar in our swimsuits?"
"Yours."
"Ah, right."
Suddenly, Ayaka lunged forward, aiming for his exposed shoulder. Aether effortlessly deflected her sword, countering with a slice that was meant to disarm her. Ayaka, of course, saw it coming, ducking under his sword and bashing into him.
He staggered and winced, causing Ayaka to gasp. "I'm so sorry! Here, let me — drat, I don't know healing magic!"
She turned around, looking for something that she could use as a bandage. The moment that he left her sight, she felt his warmth against her back… and his sword against her neck.
"Never turn your back against the enemy," he said calmly. "The Fatui and the Abyss fight without honor."
She pouted, reaching up and gently pushing his sword away. "That was a mean one… Again?"
He grinned at how her mood shifted back to sheer excitement at the thought of another round of swordplay. "Again," he agreed. "Now, be —"
This time, she moved so fast, he had lost before he could finish saying "begin." His sword lay a dozen paces from them. His eyes were wide, as he stared at the woman who had so thoroughly destroyed him.
"You're strong," she said evenly, knowing what he was thinking. "To keep up with you, I needed to become stronger, as well."
To her surprise, he grinned. "You don't need to downplay your abilities. As long as the two of us combined can destroy whatever comes our way, I'm satisfied."
Her eyes shined with unspoken emotion. She could stand there and stammer as she tried to piece together the right words to say — something more meaningful than a generic "I love you" — but she had always been better at speaking through her actions.
"It's nine to nine," she said, smiling widely. "Begin."
They sparred throughout the morning, neither giving an inch to the other. They honed their skills, not knowing what awaited them on their adventures, but they were confident that they could tackle it with ease.
At the end of a long fight, they stood mere inches apart, their bodies nearly touching, as both held the sharp edge of their blade against the other's throat.
"Yield," Ayaka said breathlessly. She was so close to Aether, his eyes seemed to blur together.
"Yield," he responded, not wavering in the slightest. His lips quirked upwards. "After all, I have the advantage."
She was about to respond that they were in equal positions, but he proved her wrong. Without having to move much at all, Aether gently pressed his lips to hers. Shocked, Ayaka dropped her sword on the sand between them.
Aether held his sword to the side and stuck it in the sand. Leaning his forehead against Ayaka's, he said, "Yield."
Despite having kissed him hundreds of times, her heart pounded, threatening to tear itself out of her ribcage. It was only made worse when Aether cupped her cheek.
"You should wear this outfit more often," he said slyly. "You look gorgeous."
She could have complimented him back, and she could have said that she had indeed lost their sparring match, but she decided that she enjoyed kissing him more.
She pushed herself against him, closing her eyes and letting herself go. He easily reciprocated, sliding his hands up her back. Fiddling with the knot that held her swimsuit together, he —
"Sorry I'm late, comrade!"
They jumped apart, shocked and red-faced. Standing in front of them, soaking wet and with a shit-eating grin, was Childe.
"Wh-What… How did… What?!"
Childe laughed at Aether's sputtering. He slung his bow over his shoulder. "It's Monday morning. You promised me a fight."
"But not like this! How did you even get into the Serenitea Pot?"
"I swam."
"You swam?!"
True to his word, Childe was standing at the water's edge, absolutely soaked. He put his hands on his hips and proudly said, "Of course! This warm pond is nothing compared to the frigid waters of Snezhnaya!"
Aether nearly pulled his hair out at the sheer absurdity of the situation. "That's not how it works! You can't — Actually, you know what? No. Nuh-uh. Not doing this."
He turned on his heel and stomped away, clearly expecting Ayaka to follow. Her hand on his arm stopped him.
"Wait," she said calmly, but when he turned to look at her, he saw a fire in her eyes — a sheer, pent-up frustration that could not be properly described with words.
"Uh, Ayaka? Are you —"
"Sakura Swirl!"
Whirling around to face Childe, Ayaka unleashed a blast of cryo, far more powerful than the one that she had previously used against him. He was turned into a human popsicle before he could fire a single shot of his bow.
Without saying a single word, Ayaka grabbed Aether by the wrist and dragged him back to their house.
Childe didn't ask either of them to fight for a long, long time.
